Marion jobless rate back below 8 percent

Chelsea Kavanaugh of Citrus Memorial Health System, right, talks with job candidate Nardeo Pooran during a career expo at Rasmussen College on State Road 200 in Ocala in this Sept. 13, 2013 file photo.

Published: Friday, September 20, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, September 20, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.

Marion County's unemployment rate for August dipped to 7.9 percent, an improvement from 8.3 percent in July and 10.1 percent in August last year.

Data released by the U.S. Department of Labor Friday morning show Marion had 124,975 people employed in August, up 426 from 124,549 in July and up 4,087 from 120,888 in August 2012.

At the same time, the number of people reported in the Marion labor force was 135,680, a drop of 123 from 135,803 in July, but an increase of 1,168 from the August 2012 number of 134,512.

Rusty Skinner, CEO of Workforce Connection, which helps job seekers and employers in Marion, Citrus and Levy counties, said the figures were "not unexpected."

"July and August is generally sort of a catch-your-breath period where we figure out where we're going," Skinner said. "When I look at the long term, I think we will see how we're moving forward and how we're responding to the economy in September."

Skinner attributed to increase in employment to large hiring events in August for Burlington Coat Factory, Custom Window Systems and Caregiver Services, among others. Meanwhile, the slight reduction in the labor force is fairly standard for August, he said, with students who worked jobs during the summer leaving to return to classes, some job seekers scaling back their searches due to summer's dog days and some people finding jobs out of the county and moving.

In a news release issued by Workforce Connection, Rebecca Rust, chief economist of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, noted Ocala's metropolitan statistical area held firm with the sixth-highest unemployment rate among 23 areas in Florida. In the ranking of Florida's 67 counties, Marion sits at No. 49, with Hendry having the highest unemployment rate at 15.4 percent and Monroe having the lowest at 4.0. Alachua has the fifth-lowest jobless rate at 5.4.

Total nonagricultural employment for the Ocala metro area was 94,500, up 1,400 jobs over the month and 2,600 over the year for a growth rate of 2.8 percent, according to the release, which also noted Moody's Analytics and Forbes magazine recently ranked the Ocala area fifth in the nation for projected job growth.

Seven industry sectors gained jobs over the past year, according to Workforce Connection: trade, transportation and utilities, more than 1,000; education and health services, more than 600; leisure and hospitality, more than 500; professional and business services, more than 300. Three more sectors added more than 100 jobs each — mining, logging and construction; financial activities; and manufacturing.

Meanwhile, the Department of Economic Opportunity ranked the local Workforce Connection No. 8 among the state's 24 workforce regions in August, noting it placed 1,189 job seekers, an increase of 41 percent over the same month in 2012.

Skinner said he thinks Marion, Citrus and Levy are moving back to "normal, positive steady growth rates that have been a hallmark for them over time."

"We certainly took a plunge that was dramatic," Skinner said. "We had one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, some of the biggest job losses for a while. In Marion, that was really because our employment markets were so driven by housing and manufacturing. Then you had something like (the collapse of mortgage giant) Taylor Bean & Whitaker."

"We have a fairly stable recovery underway," he said. "But because the fall was so precipitous, it's certainly not what we would like to help those people who are without a job right now."

A factor in that relative stability, according to Skinner, is combining economic development with attention to existing employers.

"You want FedEx to come here and bring a bunch of jobs, but if all you dealt with was the big-ticket economic development projects, as important as they are, and you didn't rely on the existing-business recovery and growth, you wouldn't have the type of economy we have," he said.

As for the future, Skinner said a key area to watch is national politics.

"As more of the uncertainties at the federal level are resolved in terms of budget and we get past some of the sequestration issues, people can figure out what they can count on and what they can't and they have some level of business certainty," he said. "I think all of those things will help nationally and certainly help us."

<p>Marion County's unemployment rate for August dipped to 7.9 percent, an improvement from 8.3 percent in July and 10.1 percent in August last year.</p><p>Data released by the U.S. Department of Labor Friday morning show Marion had 124,975 people employed in August, up 426 from 124,549 in July and up 4,087 from 120,888 in August 2012.</p><p>At the same time, the number of people reported in the Marion labor force was 135,680, a drop of 123 from 135,803 in July, but an increase of 1,168 from the August 2012 number of 134,512.</p><p>Rusty Skinner, CEO of Workforce Connection, which helps job seekers and employers in Marion, Citrus and Levy counties, said the figures were "not unexpected."</p><p>"July and August is generally sort of a catch-your-breath period where we figure out where we're going," Skinner said. "When I look at the long term, I think we will see how we're moving forward and how we're responding to the economy in September."</p><p>Skinner attributed to increase in employment to large hiring events in August for Burlington Coat Factory, Custom Window Systems and Caregiver Services, among others. Meanwhile, the slight reduction in the labor force is fairly standard for August, he said, with students who worked jobs during the summer leaving to return to classes, some job seekers scaling back their searches due to summer's dog days and some people finding jobs out of the county and moving.</p><p>In a news release issued by Workforce Connection, Rebecca Rust, chief economist of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, noted Ocala's metropolitan statistical area held firm with the sixth-highest unemployment rate among 23 areas in Florida. In the ranking of Florida's 67 counties, Marion sits at No. 49, with Hendry having the highest unemployment rate at 15.4 percent and Monroe having the lowest at 4.0. Alachua has the fifth-lowest jobless rate at 5.4.</p><p>Total nonagricultural employment for the Ocala metro area was 94,500, up 1,400 jobs over the month and 2,600 over the year for a growth rate of 2.8 percent, according to the release, which also noted Moody's Analytics and Forbes magazine recently ranked the Ocala area fifth in the nation for projected job growth.</p><p>Seven industry sectors gained jobs over the past year, according to Workforce Connection: trade, transportation and utilities, more than 1,000; education and health services, more than 600; leisure and hospitality, more than 500; professional and business services, more than 300. Three more sectors added more than 100 jobs each — mining, logging and construction; financial activities; and manufacturing.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Department of Economic Opportunity ranked the local Workforce Connection No. 8 among the state's 24 workforce regions in August, noting it placed 1,189 job seekers, an increase of 41 percent over the same month in 2012.</p><p>Skinner said he thinks Marion, Citrus and Levy are moving back to "normal, positive steady growth rates that have been a hallmark for them over time."</p><p>"We certainly took a plunge that was dramatic," Skinner said. "We had one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, some of the biggest job losses for a while. In Marion, that was really because our employment markets were so driven by housing and manufacturing. Then you had something like (the collapse of mortgage giant) Taylor Bean & Whitaker."</p><p>"We have a fairly stable recovery underway," he said. "But because the fall was so precipitous, it's certainly not what we would like to help those people who are without a job right now."</p><p>A factor in that relative stability, according to Skinner, is combining economic development with attention to existing employers.</p><p>"You want FedEx to come here and bring a bunch of jobs, but if all you dealt with was the big-ticket economic development projects, as important as they are, and you didn't rely on the existing-business recovery and growth, you wouldn't have the type of economy we have," he said.</p><p>As for the future, Skinner said a key area to watch is national politics.</p><p>"As more of the uncertainties at the federal level are resolved in terms of budget and we get past some of the sequestration issues, people can figure out what they can count on and what they can't and they have some level of business certainty," he said. "I think all of those things will help nationally and certainly help us."</p>